Lowering the Drinking Age to 18.

I'm all for raising the driving age and the enlistment age to 21. Especially the driving age. I work for an insurance company, and that would reduce the number of claims filed each year and the number of people killed in car accidents.

http://www.rmiia.org/Auto/Teens/Teen_Driving_Statistics.htm

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers.
16 year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
16-year-olds are three times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash than the average of all drivers.

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The argument could be made that regardless of age, inexperienced drivers are going to have trouble behind the wheel for that first year, but the sixteen-year-old brain is still developing, so if we allow them to mature five more years, that would allow their judgment centers of the brain to become that much better at making decisions.

if you hung out with "kids" who are 18 and saw the sorts of things they do when they are drunk you'd want the drinking age to remain at 21, too.

EriRae said:

I'm all for raising the driving age and the enlistment age to 21. Especially the driving age. I work for an insurance company, and that would reduce the number of claims filed each year and the number of people killed in car accidents.

http://www.rmiia.org/Auto/Teens/Teen_Driving_Statistics.htm

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Let us not forget the NAIC (National Auto Insurers Council) motto, “We hate kids”

anis said:

if you hung out with "kids" who are 18 and saw the sorts of things they do when they are drunk you'd want the drinking age to remain at 21, too.

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While it was a looooong time ago, I still remember when I was 18, dumb and bullet-proof.

Over the years I learned I was not bullet-proof, the dumb sort of stuck around.

Cassiopeia said:

they can walk or ride a bicycle. When you drink and drive you are making decisions for others that are not yours to make. (not yours as in you but them).

I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for those who choose to drink and drive. Heck, I get so annoyed when I see people texting or putting on their make up while they drive. One day I saw a man with his cell phone in one hand and a burger in the other. I can only surmise he was steering with his knee. Bloody freak. I was so mad.

When we get behind the wheel of a car we are not just responsible for our own lives but those lives we may pass on the road. Driving recklessly is another one of my pet peeves so a DUI? They can just kiss that license bye bye and for good if you ask me.

ETA: I should mention at this point that my brother at age of nine ( I was six) was hit and killed while crossing the road because of a woman who had been drinking and driving.

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Wow, we would make a hell of a pair of traffic court judges!

...you and me both ;-)

Robert Toy said:

Let us not forget the NAIC (National Auto Insurers Council) motto, “We hate kids”

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I haven't heard that one--How do I join?

EriRae said:

I haven't heard that one--How do I join?

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Membership is automatically bestowed upon reaching your 50th birthday, or when your first child legally gets behind the wheel of a car, whichever occurs first.

Okay, I know it cannot just be me (I think), but in another thread the subject was raised about the proposal of arming a select few teachers in our school systems to protect the children from school shootings. Ouch, lots of flak…people will get killed in accidents, insufficient training, etc. etc.

Now some of the same folks see no problem or danger with allowing millions of 18-20 year olds access to alcohol. Is this because 18-20 year olds behave more responsibly than mid-life crisis teachers?

I’m confused. Inquiring minds would like to know.

benbradley said:

I suppose it's now Mothers Against Drinking Dammit.

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Seriously - as a mother of 3 teens (15, 17, 19) I can only say how it's worked in our house. We've allowed our children to *sip* our beverages since they were little so they know what certain beverages taste like. (I grew up in a tee-totalling house so college was quite the free for all.) It's funny that my oldest who was at home this summer after his freshman year at college wouldn't have a beer with his pizza at home because he knew he'd be driving somewhere later in the evening. Last night, my 17-year old daughter was home alone with my husband and I. We offered her a glass of wine, but she refused. Go figure ...

A friend sponsored a French exchange student (18-year old boy) over the summer. He could legally order alcohol at age 16, but couldn't get his driver's license until he was 18. Arguably, he'd learn how to handle his alcohol before he ever got behind the wheel. (Not to mention the stiff repurcussions for drinking and driving in France.)

Is drinking a right? No. Is it a privilege? Yes. Can people drink responsibly? Yes, but how do they learn how to do this? Certainly not when they're set loose at 21 with no model for behavior other than their peers (I'm speaking of college here).

Interesting too that a couple can say "I do" at 18 but not toast at their own wedding.....

OK
I do not have a prob with alcohol

BUT

I fear for the world when when youngsters at the age of 18 are able to buy weapons purely designed for killing people at up to 1000 metres

vixey said:

Interesting too that a couple can say "I do" at 18 but not toast at their own wedding.....

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That is bizarre!

Then we've got the term "shotgun wedding". As I understand it, a teenager can legally own a gun, even though he can't legally drink.

Back home, kids used to drink and have sex when they were around 11-12.

Maybe we should just lower the drinking age to 12 and lower the statutory rape age to 12...since everyone's already doing it anyway.

[/sarcasm]

allowing the 18-21-year-old bracket to drink under parental supervision seems reasonable.

If you want to be biological, the average human brain is still developing until the age of 22. That's why the military likes 18 year olds. They are physically strong and mentally malleable. Drugs, Religious Cults, wreckless behavior are all usually started before the age of 22.

I don't see how or where anyone said it was a good idea to drink and drive. At any age. The main argument I see is that it's okay to send an 18 year old off to die in a war, but not to have a beer when s/he returns. Or how an 18 year old can be trusted to make the decision of who to vote for, but again - can't make the decision to have a glass of wine. It strikes me as hypocritical.

No - teens don't always make the wisest choices, but the same can be said for adults as well.

And just imagine the jump in kids entering the military if the gov't made a special provision allowing them to drink...

anis said:

allowing the 18-21-year-old bracket to drink under parental supervision seems reasonable.

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My bolding

The lack thereof is a contributing cause of many of the problems we see in today's younger generation.

21-year-olds have more money.

FedGov has no horse in the race.

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

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They took control of the issue using blackmail against the states, threatening to withhold funds for highway construction and maintenance.

Prohibition under 21 is 100% as successful as Prohibition at all ages was. A great side benefit is that if it's illegal to drink AND smoke pot, might as well smoke pot or do whatever else is illegal. It breeds disrespect for the law in the 18-21 year old group; what a great lesson for kids that age to learn.

Anti-consumption laws, whatever the substance, have consistent and predictable results on society, similar to anti-gambling, anti-prostitution, or other behavioral control laws.

BenPanced said:

21-year-olds have more money.

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so 18 year olds are stuck with cheap beer then

I started drinking when I was 16 (legal age in Hong Kong). Drank through college in the US, socially. And on my 21st birthday I stopped. I didn't have another drink until I was 27. Like someone said, the drinking age really is irrelevant. Those who are going to drink and drive are already drinking -- they have so many ways to get alcohol. Those who choose to drink responsibly is not going to be deterred by a stupid age limit. And those who can drink responsibly (like I was) won't be affected anyway.

I do think parental guidance is probably reasonable for people between 16-21. Whether it's driving, drinking, or voting. Teenagers do have a tendency to overdo things or get out of control if left on their own. I can't tell you how many times I've seen teenagers drive recklessly as if they're invincible (and statistics would show that, no, they're not).

That said, I still don't know why cannabis is illegal but a 16yo can drink alcohol. To me, that's just silly.

p.s. should we worry about our boys drinking while they're on active duty? Is there a military policy to prohibit alcohol consumption except during leave?

Jersey Chick said:

I don't see how or where anyone said it was a good idea to drink and drive. At any age. The main argument I see is that it's okay to send an 18 year old off to die in a war, but not to have a beer when s/he returns. Or how an 18 year old can be trusted to make the decision of who to vote for, but again - can't make the decision to have a glass of wine. It strikes me as hypocritical.

No - teens don't always make the wisest choices, but the same can be said for adults as well.

And just imagine the jump in kids entering the military if the gov't made a special provision allowing them to drink...

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Being hypocritical may not be very PC, but it is not a crime or some injustice that demands correction.

As for voting…have you seen the statistics of 18-20 year old voter turnout?

BTW, I don’t trust an eighteen year old decision on the selection of political leaders. Then again since they possess such a vast knowledge on global security, health and tax issues maybe we should listen to them.

I agree, Robert, and think the lack of parental supervision is in turn partially related to the ecomomy. It really isn't possible for parents to be around their kids much these day in the struggle to make ends meet.

petec said:

That is bizarre!

Then we've got the term "shotgun wedding". As I understand it, a teenager can legally own a gun, even though he can't legally drink.

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In a tradition "shotgun" wedding it isn't the bride or groom wielding the shotgun; it is normally the angry father of the bride who - in the traditional sense - has either lost her virginity to the groom or is also pregnant by the groom.

Just sayin'.......

Why do people drink and drive? Because we let them! Most people mind their own business and don't want to get involved.

Honestly, how many times do you ask for or steal someone's car keys after a couple of beers? It has never happened to me. (Maybe I have rotten friends?) But it should happen more often!

If two people drink heavily at a restaurant, does the waiter inquire if he/she should call a taxi? And would they accept? And would he get a tip, or get fired?